The Winners: The expected result for Seven; an easy win thanks to the network’s move to keep Winners & Losers on air over the non-ratings break to get it embedded in the audience’s mindset. And 1.22 million viewers without a good lead in shows that viewers know the program and sought it out last night, which is more than you can say for the other networks.

  1. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) –1.352 million
  2. Seven News (6pm) — 1.310 million
  3. Winners & Losers (Seven) (8.30pm) — 1.220 million
  4. ABC News (7pm) — 1.096 million
  5. NCIS (Ten) (8.30pm) — 1.048 million
  6. Home and Away (Seven) (7pm) — 1.036 million
  7. Nine News (6pm) — 1.034 million
  8. Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation (Ten) (7.30pm) — 1.018 million

The Losers: As expected Nine was weak because its running dead this week. No interest in giving viewers anything but dross. Nine’s movie at 8.30 pm, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 385,000. Terrible.

News & CA: 6.30 With George Negus seems to be settling around the 400,000 mark a night. It will be weaker over Easter, but it’s encouraging for Ten.

Seven News and Today Tonight won all five metro markets beating Nine News and ACA. But in Melbourne the 7pm ABC News with 353,000 viewers was tops in the news battle, with Seven News on 327,000 and Nine News on 319,000. In Sydney the 7pm ABC News averaged 321,000, which made it second behind Seven News on 324,000 and in front of Nine News on 297,000.

In the morning, Today has again closed the gap on Sunrise.

  1. Today Tonight (Seven) (6.30pm) –1.352 million
  2. Seven News (6pm) — 1.310 million
  3. ABC News (7pm) — 1.096 million
  4. Nine News (6pm) — 1.034 million
  5. A Current Affair (Nine) (6.30pm) — 915,000
  6. The 7pm Project (Ten) (7pm) — 725,000
  7. 7.30 (ABC) (7.30pm) — 681,000
  8. Ten News (5pm) — 627,000
  9. Foreign Correspondent (ABC) (8pm) — 540,000
  10. 6.30 With George Negus (Ten) (6.30pm) — 420,000
  11. 6.30 With George Negus (Ten) (10.40pm) — 241,000
  12. Insight (SBS) (7.30pm) — 190,000
  13. Lateline (ABC) (10.30pm) — 170,000
  14. SBS News (9.30pm) — 157,000
  15. SBS News (6.30pm) – 157,000
  16. Late News/Sports Tonight (Ten) (11.10pm) — 142,000
  17. Lateline Business (ABC) (11.05pm) — 75,000

In the morning:

  1. Sunrise (Seven) (7am) — 370,000
  2. Today (Nine) (7am) — 364,000

The Stats:

  • FTA: Seven (3 channels) won with a share of 32.1% from Ten (3) on 24.3%, Nine (3) was on 23.0%, the ABC (4) was on 15.0% and SBS (2) ended with 5.6%. Seven leads the week with 30.7% from Nine on 23.6% and Ten on 21.2%.
  • Main Channel: Seven won with a share of 24.3% from Ten on 19.0%, Nine on 16.1%, ABC 1 on 12.1% and SBS ONE on 4.4%. Seven leads the week with 23.4% from Nine on 16.9%, ABC 1 on 16.2% and Ten on 15.7%.
  • Digital: 7TWO and 7mate tied with 3.9% each, with GO on 3.7%, Eleven on 3.4%, Gem on 3.2%, ONE on 1.9%, ABC 2 on 1.8%, SBS TWO on 1.2%, ABC 3, 0.7% and News 24, 0.4%. That’s a total share of FTA viewing last night in prime time of 24.1%. 7TWO leads the week with 3.9% from GO on 3.7% and Eleven on 3.6%.
  • Pay TV: Seven (3 channels) won with a share of 25.0%, from Nine (3 channels) on 19.2%, Ten (3) was on 17.3%, pay TV (100 plus channels) finished with 15.8% and the ABC (4) was on 15.3% with SBS (2) on 4.6%. The 15 FTA channels had an 85.2% share of prime time viewing last night, with the digital channels on a total of 19.8% and the five main channels on 66.4%.
  • Regional: Prime/7Qld (3 channels) won with a share of 32.6%, from WIN/NBN (3) on 26.9%, SC Ten (3) was on 21.5%, the ABC (4) ended with 13.8% and SBS (2) was on 5.2%. Prime/7Qld won the main channels from WIN/NBN and SC Ten. 7TWO won the digitals with 5.6%, with 7mate and GO on 4.0% each. The 10 digital channels had a prime time FTA share of 26.3%. Prime/7Qld leads the week with 31.4% from WIN/NBN on 27.6%.

Major Markets: Seven won overall and in the main channels everywhere with Ten and Nine sharing the minors in all five metro centres, with Ten mostly in second. 7mate won Sydney, Perth and shared Adelaide with 7TWO. Eleven won Melbourne and GO won Brisbane. Seven Leads the week from Nine and Ten in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. In Sydney its Seven from Nine and the ABC clinging to third.

(All shares on the basis of combined overnight 6pm to midnight All People)

Glenn Dyer’s comments: Seven for various reasons won. Nine for one reason was weak, Ten tried half-heartedly and ended second. Nine has new programs starting next week.

TONIGHT: Well, at least the ABC is trying. Adam Hills in Gordon St Tonight and Hungry Beast, after the almost unwanted New Inventors.

Nine at least has a new Lotto draw among the repeats and runs a RPA – Where Are They Now? right after. Ten has a fresh The Biggest Loser: Families and a fresh Lie To Me (which won’t help it).

Seven has repeats and an Air Crash Investigations. Home and Away is fresh, as is Detroit 1-8-7 at 8.30pm. Without the final of My Kitchen Rules as the lead in, it will struggle.

The highlight tonight is the return of East West 101 on SBS at 8.30pm.

Source: OzTAM, TV Networks reports